May 12, 2019
Acts 9:36-43
I wish I had the chance to meet Josephine Boyd before she died years ago. She was a courageous woman, and her acts of courage changed the course of thousands upon thousands of peoples lives who came after her. For those of you who may not know, Josephine Boyd was the first black student to integrate a high school in North Carolina. If you grew up around here her name may be all the more familiar because this integration happened in Greensboro, at a school known as Greensboro Senior High School back then, and Grimsley Senior High School today. The same high school that our son Joshua will graduate from in the next few weeks.
It is difficult for us to comprehend the magnitude of what Josephine Boyd did for others on that September day in 1957. Being the first isn’t always glamorous. In fact, being first is oftentimes burdensome. So burdensome that some retreat, but not Josephine Boyd. Her decision came the summer before the start of her senior year of high school and it came at the urging of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker social justice group. That group wanted to test Greensboro’s willingness to follow the new law that came from the United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education. The good news for the American Friends Service Committee is that Josephine Boyd was willing also. And, according to her parents, it was Ms. Boyd’s decision.
Many recounted later the difficult times Ms. Boyd faced during that school year. Some of her classmates were ruthless in their treatment of her. From the daily name calling to putting thumbs tacks in her chair, Josephine Boyd’s senior year of high school was nothing like most peoples. For high school seniors today, excitement starts to build as that graduation day inches closer and closer, but I wonder if it did for Ms. Boyd. It seems easy, on this side of her historical decision, to wonder about her life during that 1957-1958 school year. To wonder about the enormity of her being the first.
I find myself asking why she didn’t just return to Dudley High School, where she had been a student until September of 1957. Fortunately, the story of Josephine Boyd’s decision has been documented and because it has been documented we know why she didn’t return to Dudley, Josephine Boyd wanted Justice for All and her pursuit of the ever-elusive justice for all came at a cost. It seems, though, the greater cost would have been in her not pursuing Justice for All. I’m glad I wonder about such things, because if I didn’t then most likely I would never spend time thinking about Josephine Boyd, or the countless other Josephine Boyd’s throughout history. Those countless other women who put the needs of others higher than their own, and in so doing modeled the way we should all live our lives. We heard about one of those women a few minutes ago. Her name was Tabitha and history boldly tells us she was a female disciple.
************************
Tabitha’s life, according to the Bible, was full of good works. It was full of her selflessly providing necessities for the poor. Tabitha’s life, it seems, must have been special. Hers was a name that must have been known during that time. If this were not the case, then it would be hard for me to understand why Tabitha bore the privilege and the burden of being the only named mathetria, female disciple, in the New Testament. Tabitha is the first and when you are the first, like it or not, you bear the burden of being the role model for all who follow. You bear the burden of setting the pace. When handled properly, the life story of the first becomes a story of inspiration. A story about a life that impacts the community in positive, even transformative, ways. When handled properly and with dignity, the life story of the first, is a story about someone who opened doors for others. When handled properly and with dignity, the life story of the first is a story about Tabitha, a woman whose life was full of good works. A story about someone who selflessly provided the necessities to those who needed.
Like all other living things, Tabitha became fatally sick. Even those who are full of good works, those who selflessly help others, reach such a point. And even though her apparent death is where we first meet Tabitha, her life is on full display. As she lay there lifeless, Tabitha is surrounded by the widows with whom she ministered and served. Her presumed death appears to have been too much for them to handle, or maybe they were honoring her and her impact on their lives by sitting with her. You see when Peter arrived in that Upper Room, he didn’t see Tabitha by herself, her saw her surrounded by those who loved her. Peter was met at the door by “mourners and beneficiaries of Tabitha’s just acts and gifts.”[1] Tabitha, it seems, risked her own economic well-being to serve others who were less privileged. Something far too few disciples, whether men or women, have the courage to do. Too many of us first consider how our giving will or will not diminish or increase our own living.[2] Not Tabitha. She took the risk that her good works and just acts would transform herself and others.
So when Peter arrived in that Upper Room, he saw the first, surrounded by those who follow. What he found was a room full of heartbreak and love all at the same time. Here Peter, look at this beautiful tunic Tabitha made for me. And look at this one – and this one – and this one. She made these for us because she loved us, and we are here with her because we want you to know we love her too.
*********************
The truth is “the world will never be a better place as long as the Tabitha’s are few.”[3] And we know this because the Tabitha’s of the world are the ones who go down in history as heroes. Where might we be today, were it not for Josephine Boyd? Just like Tabitha, her life was one of courage. It was a life risked for the benefit of those who follow. Such a life takes great courage. “Tabitha used her privilege -- her wealth, just acts and gifts … for the benefit of the less privileged: the widows, indigent, the hungry, depressed, oppressed, marginalized, and penalized.”[4] Josephine Boyd summoned enough courage to weather an enormous storm of hate and indecency. That is oftentimes the burden of being the first, but there is something else about being first that both of these women seemed to understand – the privilege of touching other people’s lives in a powerfully positive and transformative way.
Role models and mathetrias like Josephine Boyd and Tabitha have so much to teach those of us who follow. Their lives are inspirational because they made choices that benefitted more than themselves. They made choices, hard choices, about who they were and whose they were, while fully knowing those choices were about helping others who were less fortunate. That’s what heroes do. Each of them had both the privilege and the burden of being first in their own respective lives, and thanks be to God for them. Those who follow such heroes have the opportunity to make sure they are not the last, and that opportunity, as heavy as it may feel at times, is Good News for us, for it becomes our opportunity to become role models and mathetes and mathetrias too.
[PRAYER]
Amen!
[1] Smith, Mitzi J., http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2814
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
Acts 9:36-43
I wish I had the chance to meet Josephine Boyd before she died years ago. She was a courageous woman, and her acts of courage changed the course of thousands upon thousands of peoples lives who came after her. For those of you who may not know, Josephine Boyd was the first black student to integrate a high school in North Carolina. If you grew up around here her name may be all the more familiar because this integration happened in Greensboro, at a school known as Greensboro Senior High School back then, and Grimsley Senior High School today. The same high school that our son Joshua will graduate from in the next few weeks.
It is difficult for us to comprehend the magnitude of what Josephine Boyd did for others on that September day in 1957. Being the first isn’t always glamorous. In fact, being first is oftentimes burdensome. So burdensome that some retreat, but not Josephine Boyd. Her decision came the summer before the start of her senior year of high school and it came at the urging of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker social justice group. That group wanted to test Greensboro’s willingness to follow the new law that came from the United States Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. The Board of Education. The good news for the American Friends Service Committee is that Josephine Boyd was willing also. And, according to her parents, it was Ms. Boyd’s decision.
Many recounted later the difficult times Ms. Boyd faced during that school year. Some of her classmates were ruthless in their treatment of her. From the daily name calling to putting thumbs tacks in her chair, Josephine Boyd’s senior year of high school was nothing like most peoples. For high school seniors today, excitement starts to build as that graduation day inches closer and closer, but I wonder if it did for Ms. Boyd. It seems easy, on this side of her historical decision, to wonder about her life during that 1957-1958 school year. To wonder about the enormity of her being the first.
I find myself asking why she didn’t just return to Dudley High School, where she had been a student until September of 1957. Fortunately, the story of Josephine Boyd’s decision has been documented and because it has been documented we know why she didn’t return to Dudley, Josephine Boyd wanted Justice for All and her pursuit of the ever-elusive justice for all came at a cost. It seems, though, the greater cost would have been in her not pursuing Justice for All. I’m glad I wonder about such things, because if I didn’t then most likely I would never spend time thinking about Josephine Boyd, or the countless other Josephine Boyd’s throughout history. Those countless other women who put the needs of others higher than their own, and in so doing modeled the way we should all live our lives. We heard about one of those women a few minutes ago. Her name was Tabitha and history boldly tells us she was a female disciple.
************************
Tabitha’s life, according to the Bible, was full of good works. It was full of her selflessly providing necessities for the poor. Tabitha’s life, it seems, must have been special. Hers was a name that must have been known during that time. If this were not the case, then it would be hard for me to understand why Tabitha bore the privilege and the burden of being the only named mathetria, female disciple, in the New Testament. Tabitha is the first and when you are the first, like it or not, you bear the burden of being the role model for all who follow. You bear the burden of setting the pace. When handled properly, the life story of the first becomes a story of inspiration. A story about a life that impacts the community in positive, even transformative, ways. When handled properly and with dignity, the life story of the first, is a story about someone who opened doors for others. When handled properly and with dignity, the life story of the first is a story about Tabitha, a woman whose life was full of good works. A story about someone who selflessly provided the necessities to those who needed.
Like all other living things, Tabitha became fatally sick. Even those who are full of good works, those who selflessly help others, reach such a point. And even though her apparent death is where we first meet Tabitha, her life is on full display. As she lay there lifeless, Tabitha is surrounded by the widows with whom she ministered and served. Her presumed death appears to have been too much for them to handle, or maybe they were honoring her and her impact on their lives by sitting with her. You see when Peter arrived in that Upper Room, he didn’t see Tabitha by herself, her saw her surrounded by those who loved her. Peter was met at the door by “mourners and beneficiaries of Tabitha’s just acts and gifts.”[1] Tabitha, it seems, risked her own economic well-being to serve others who were less privileged. Something far too few disciples, whether men or women, have the courage to do. Too many of us first consider how our giving will or will not diminish or increase our own living.[2] Not Tabitha. She took the risk that her good works and just acts would transform herself and others.
So when Peter arrived in that Upper Room, he saw the first, surrounded by those who follow. What he found was a room full of heartbreak and love all at the same time. Here Peter, look at this beautiful tunic Tabitha made for me. And look at this one – and this one – and this one. She made these for us because she loved us, and we are here with her because we want you to know we love her too.
*********************
The truth is “the world will never be a better place as long as the Tabitha’s are few.”[3] And we know this because the Tabitha’s of the world are the ones who go down in history as heroes. Where might we be today, were it not for Josephine Boyd? Just like Tabitha, her life was one of courage. It was a life risked for the benefit of those who follow. Such a life takes great courage. “Tabitha used her privilege -- her wealth, just acts and gifts … for the benefit of the less privileged: the widows, indigent, the hungry, depressed, oppressed, marginalized, and penalized.”[4] Josephine Boyd summoned enough courage to weather an enormous storm of hate and indecency. That is oftentimes the burden of being the first, but there is something else about being first that both of these women seemed to understand – the privilege of touching other people’s lives in a powerfully positive and transformative way.
Role models and mathetrias like Josephine Boyd and Tabitha have so much to teach those of us who follow. Their lives are inspirational because they made choices that benefitted more than themselves. They made choices, hard choices, about who they were and whose they were, while fully knowing those choices were about helping others who were less fortunate. That’s what heroes do. Each of them had both the privilege and the burden of being first in their own respective lives, and thanks be to God for them. Those who follow such heroes have the opportunity to make sure they are not the last, and that opportunity, as heavy as it may feel at times, is Good News for us, for it becomes our opportunity to become role models and mathetes and mathetrias too.
[PRAYER]
Amen!
[1] Smith, Mitzi J., http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2814
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
